CPC Best Plant Conservation Practices

to Support Species Survival in the Wild

See Topic In The Forum

Reintroduction & Translocations

Rare Plant Reintroduction and Other Conservation Translocations

Key Messages about Plant Reintroduction

Conservation translocation or reintroduction has become a widely accepted component of full spectrum conservation for endangered species.
Conservation translocation or reintroduction is not the first step toward the conservation of a species, but rather follows a careful process of gathering information about the species, threats, alternative actions, and future needs.
Sometimes mistakenly perceived to be a quick and easy solution for plants, conservation translocation or reintroduction actually requires careful planning and long-term effort before and after plants are installed at a site. The good news is that with this planning and care, it is possible to establish wild plant populations successfully.

Endangered Species Act and Recovery Planning

Endangered Species Act and Recovery Planning Lisa Ellis, US Fish and Wildlife Service Lisa Ellis, USFWS, reviews the components of the Endangered Species Act, terminology... Read More

The Goal of Rare Plant Reintroduction

The ultimate goal of rare plant conservation is to ensure that unique taxa experience continued evolution within a natural context. The science of reintroduction is rapidly evolving. Over the past 30 years, conservation officers working with the Center for Plant Conservation (CPC) have conducted over 140 plant reintroductions and other conservation translocations of many species in many habitats. As we gather more information from our reintroductions, we have had an opportunity to modify our practice, incorporating the best of what experience has taught us. These updated CPC Best Practices for Rare Plant Reintroduction and Other Conservation Translocations reflect this collective experience and recent findings from peer-reviewed literature.

The updated CPC Best Practices provide a quick reference for practitioners to use when planning and executing rare plant reintroductions (see Overview). The new digital format aids accessibility while providing the most current information. The sections address frequently asked questions and provide supporting documents that provide further information about the basis for the guidelines. Checklists and templates guide planning the reintroduction and documenting its details.

For more details, we refer readers to previous publications with reintroduction guidelines: Guidelines for Developing a Rare Plant Reintroduction Plan (CPC 1996), IUCN Guidelines for Reintroductions (IUCN 1998, 2013), The SER Primer on Ecological Restoration (SER 2002), Guidelines for the Translocation of Threatened Plants in Australia (Vallee et al. 2004) and Center for Plant Conservation Best Reintroduction Practice Guidelines (Maschinski, Albrecht et al. 2012).